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Goodale Park was packed today as white tents, food trucks, musicians and artists filled the
space for ComFest. The largest independent volunteer-run festival kicked off their 41st annual
"party with a purpose" with one main goal in mind; to give back to the community.

"This event is all volunteer run with no corporate sponsors. We do this event and then give
money back to the community through gifts and grants to the tune of over $300,000 in the past
several years," said Connie Everett an organizer for the event.

In addition to community, the festival also stresses safety. This year they are offering wrist
bands to parents for their young children so they can be found quicker if they should wander off.
The Columbus Fire department also made their way around the park to ensure vendors followed city
safety guidelines.

"We go around and check all the vendors and make sure they're following the city codes. We make
sure they have everything that they need to operate to keep everyone safe," said Columbus
Firefighter Dwight Lawrence. "We want everyone to continue to have a good time because there's a
whole lot involved and anything can happen, so we come here to make sure everything is in
line,"

To make sure that the festival used the space to its best ability, organizers made a few
changes. "We've expanded the peace village. We’ve put more vendors and food. So I think the flow
through the village is going to be really nice and people are going to really like what we have,"
said Everett.

Tie-dyed T-shirts, glass pottery, wooden bowls, handmade hula hoops are just a few of the items
crafted by artists. Some return year after year to the place where they started.

"I started my business, Umbrella Girl Production, with ComFest 11 years ago and it's just a lot
of fun. I have a lot of repeat customers that I see from year to year and it's great because we can
appeal to a variety of different people here at the festival," said Emily Westerhouser from
Lancaster. Westerhouser fixed several vintage sewing machines that she used to sew her pot holders,
kitchen towels, skirts, zipper pouches and many other products she sells.

"I love the community. I get to see people that I don’t see year around. I get to see people
that I only see at ComFest, and it's really cool that I get to catch up with them and see what
their life is like." said Westerhouser.

Locals like to attend the festival for the atmosphere. "It's nice to just sit here under a tree
with a blanket and just relax." It's a great community event. you see small kids, and older people
and everyone seems to have a good time," said Andrea Hanson from Columbus.

While some vendors spend their time talking to festival goers about being environmentally
conscious, the festival is playing their part in being friendly to mother earth. The wine available
is served out of kegs to reduce the amount of glass and cardboard that is being disposed. The
festival also offers a bottleless water station where people can get their containers filled for
$1. "We hope to cut down on all the plastic because it is such a pollutant to mother earth," said
Everett.

The event will run through Sunday June 30, and will have live music, food, and crafts for all
ages.

"We celebrate community organizations which is how the event got its start. All of our talent,
our bands, arts and the craft street fair and food vendors are local. We are celebrating the
community at large with this festival."